Out-pace Performance Steel 5/8" Right Hand Greasable Rod End on 2040-parts.com

Skoda Fabia vRS 2000 (an open-topped vRS) at Worthersee

Skoda Fabia vRS 2000 Concept Yes, it’s Wörthersee Tour time again. Which explains why we have an OTT Skoda on display - the Skoda Fabia vRS 2000. Finished in the same striking green as the production Skoda Fabia vRS, the vRS 2000 is a concept car put together just for the GTI-Treffen event in Worthersee and is based on the Fabia vRS 2000 rally car and, as Skoda boss said, Worthersee “…is a welcome opportunity for us to show off our sports models and make sure that everyone knows that Škoda really has something to offer here.” It would have been hard to believe even just a few years ago that a car like the vRS 200 could ever come out of Skoda, but we’re now at the point where, if you can set aside badge snobbery, Skoda often has more to offer than parent VW.

All used up: Pre-owned sales rise as consumers seek new-car alternatives

Used-car sales took a leap upward in April, and the trend is expected to continue at least until midyear as pent-up demand for affordable pre-owned vehicles jacks up at least one segment of the car marketplace. Sales of new cars continued an unabated slide toward what analysts say is a 30-year low in the United States, but used-car sales showed strength as buyers unable to finance new cars shifted their sights to less expensive used models. As a result, retailers such as the large Penske Automotive Group reported that despite an overall decline in sales in the first three months of 2009, improving used-car sales kept them in the black.

VW launches 'Think Blue' campaign to pitch green initiatives

Volkswagen is trying to recreate the magic of its 1960s marketing of the Beetle by bringing its "Think Blue." marketing campaign to the United States to promote eco-friendly driving and green initiatives. The campaign - under way in Europe since last year - launches to coincide with a VW partnership with the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and Tuesday's grand opening of its new factory in Chattanooga, Tenn. VW calls the Tennessee plant "one of the world's greenest automobile factories." " 'Think Blue.' " bears witness to our holistic understanding of sustainability," said Jonathan Browning, CEO of the Volkswagen Group of America.